EFFECT OF CROPPING SYSTEM ON SOIL QUALITY

The land use pattern for different crops and soil management practices influence the soil nutrients and related soil processes, such as erosion, oxidation, mineralization and leaching etc. However, practice of particular type of cropping system for many years on same piece of land leads to variation in soil fertility. The long-term inclusion of pulses in maize-wheat rotation improved the soil fertility, subsequently increased the crop nutrient acquisition and crop productivity. During the past several decades, a significant decline in soil health has been observed worldwide due to incongruous agricultural practices and land uses. This includes excessive and imbalanced inorganic chemical applications, inappropriate tillage, nutrient mining and many other anthropogenic activities. The cropping system can incorporate higher biomass as per crops, changes in soil OM, nutrient cycling, and C sequestration for soils. The cropping system diversification is necessary to get higher yield and economic gain, to maintain soil condition, optimum utilization of available resources and meet daily requirement of human.